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About Me

I am a below knee amputee. More importantly, I am also Mommy to two boys, a very active 10 year old (Robby) and an mischievous toddler (Timmy). I have learned that being a parent with a disability can create some unusual and sometimes humorous situations.
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Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Heaven Box

Ever since we told Robby that we were going to Ohio to visit his
Grandma, he has been looking forward to two things: collecting eggs on
his cousin's farm and going fishing. He vividly remembers "Grandma's
fishing hole" and the fun he had reeling in fish after fish last year.
It seemed as if a fish hooked onto his line nearly as soon as it was
dropped in the water.

Last year we drove to Ohio which made
bringing his fishing gear feasible. Because he flew this year, we
weren't able to pack his pole and tackle box. Scott and I discussed it
and figured that, in the worse case scenario, we could run to Wal-Mart
and buy a cheap pole to keep at Grandma's for future years. Unbeknownst
to anybody, Robby's grandfather who passed away more than 25 years ago
had already taken care of securing a fishing pole for his grandson.

Although
I never met him, I understand that Scott's dad was an avid fisherman.
Unfortunately his poles, having been unused for at least half a century,
were no longer functional. Scott and I decided that we were going to
have to buy a pole for Robby to keep in Ohio, but we were hoping that
his Dad's tackle box would hold all of the other supplies we needed.
After some searching, the massive tackle box, which hasn't been opened
since he passed away, was pulled from the attic.

Sitting on the
back porch, Robby and his Uncle Jeff opened the tackle box. To the
surprise of everybody, especially his grandmother, the tackle box
contained a grand new fishing pole. The printing on the package was the
only indication that this pole was over 25 years old. The reel, a push
button type scaled for a child, looked like it had been selected
especially for a boy Robby's age. The fact that the rod was yellow only
contributed to the mystique of this discovery.

Robby immediately
declared that his grandfather was smiling in heaven because he had
finally found the surprise. After that point, Robby renamed the tackle
box the "heaven box" as he delighted in the gift. He was so excited to
be fishing with the pole that he is confident was bought with him in
mind so many years ago.

Although he never met his maternal
Grandfather, yesterday he held a strong presence in Robby's life. All
afternoon he talked about him, about how happy he probably was watching
him finally fishing with his pole, and how nice it was for him to think
of him before he was even born. I never met him either, but I certainly
felt his spirit as Robby was enjoying the sport they both love so much.